The present invention relates generally to devices, systems, and methods for supporting, positioning, and maintaining positions of a patients, often for performing refractive surgery on the eyes and the like. Embodiments of the invention provide an improved head support pillow which engages the sides and/or back of a head of the patient so as to position and/or restrain the head. Other embodiments provide mechanisms for vertically positioning the head and neck of a patient independently, facilitating positioning of the head at a desired or comfortable angle. The invention may be particularly useful for enhancing the speed, ease, safety, and efficacy of laser eye surgical procedures such as photorefractive keratectomy (“PRK”), laser in situ keratomileusis (“LASIK”), and the like.
Laser eye surgical procedures typically employ ultraviolet or infrared lasers to remove a microscopic layer of stromal tissue from the cornea to alter the cornea's refractive properties. Excimer laser systems generally use argon and fluoride gas to create a non-thermal laser light which can break molecular bonds in a process known as photoablation. Such systems result in the photodecomposition of the corneal tissue, but generally do not cause significant thermal damage to adjacent and underlying tissues of the eye. The photoablation removes the stromal tissue to change the shape or contour of the cornea, and can be used to correct myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, high-order aberrations, and the like.
Accurate photoablation of corneal tissue benefits from precise and stable alignment between the eye and the therapeutic laser beam transmitted from the laser system. Many laser eye surgical alignment systems have a patient seat or bed so that the patient is treated while seated, while lying down, or while reclined in a supine position. To align the patient with the laser beam delivery optics, the system operator often moves the seat or bed into alignment with the laser system. A particularly advantageous user interface and patient support system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/226,867, entitled “Improved Interface for Laser Eye Surgery” as filed on Aug. 20, 2002, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Embodiments of that advantageous system make use of a contoured patient treatment chair to help position a patient into nominal alignment with the laser, allowing the system operator to make fine adjustments. As the system can be moved quickly to the nominal alignment for treatment of the left or right eyes, this improved interface system provides significant advantages in ease of use, overall procedure speed, and alignment accuracy.
While known patient support and user interface systems have allowed a large number of patients to benefit from the advantages of laser eye surgery, still further improvements would be desirable. For example, it would be advantageous to more flexibly and accurately position the patient, and to inhibit movement of the patient from the aligned configuration. It would also be advantageous to comfortably accommodate a wide range of patient physiologies, ideally without decreasing the speed or increasing the complexity of the alignment procedure. Preferably, these benefits would be provided without decreasing the system operator's access to the patient. At least some of these potential advantages may be realized by the systems, devices, and methods described hereinbelow.